The Wanderer: Eating Dreams

By poetheather

Erin Summers has been enjoying her vacation but all good things come to an end and when a girl who feels like a boy needs her help she must fight against Hungry Ghosts for the dreams of street kids.

Eating Dreams

Erin Summers laid in the sun, basking in the warmth, the feel of the sand under her towel warm from where it had pulled in heat earlier. The beach wasn’t overly crowded, but the sound of children playing filled the air. She smiled as she watched them, brushing strands of her red hair from her face. In the last few years she had gotten a good bit more maternal, ever since her adventures at Bikini Beach transformed her utterly. Watching kids gave her this soft wanting that warmed her heart and she had to admit she liked that feeling.

She didn’t miss being a guy anymore, as she felt totally at home in her female body. Becoming a woman had helped her finish her walkabout and finally become a Sage and Sorcerer. It had also given her back her parents. Grandmother’s spell when she had gotten a life time pass shifted the world, making Eric into Erin forever. She still kept her lifetime pass in her backpack and returned to the park whenever she could. It was nice and always a great reunion with Anya, Elizabeth and all the others at the park. The little girls she had taught Tai Chi had been growing up, becoming young adults. It was pretty cool.

Now, however, instead of relaxing at Bikini Beach she was enjoying the sun and surf in Monterey California. The roll of the waves breaking on the shore was nice, soothing. Not quite the crash of waves she could get if she went to the seaward side of Pacific Grove, but still quite pleasant. Even the barking of the seals was nice. She liked it here and was considering staying in the Bay area. San Francisco was only an hour and a half away by car and she liked the feel of the place. It had a soothing energy that she certainly had been relishing.

Yesterday she had gone kayaking in the bay, watching otters lounge on the fields of seaweed that seemed to be everywhere. The trip had been enjoyable, especially when an otter had climbed onto the boat and chattered at her happily, as if telling her something very important. The fur had been very soft and the otter had been a pleasant companion for that five minute experience.

Certainly a bit more pleasant than her companion last night had been. The Marine was training uphill at the Defense Language Institute, learning Chinese. She had caught him muttering in Chinese at one of the Coffee houses just off the main drag and had snerked at his mispronunciation. They started talking and one thing led to another.

He had certainly been a fit and generous lover. Erin knew it had been only a one night deal and so did he, and that had been okay. But what a night it had been. She had certainly orgasmed several times, but it had felt hollow and that had bothered her.

Her reverie had broken her out of her basking. She now felt like she wanted to move. She sat up and looked around the beach, trying to figure out where to go. Maybe she should head back to the hostel she was staying at and do some meditation? Once she decided, she nodded her head and stood.

She shook out her towel, the sand flying off. Once at the sidewalk, she knocked the sand from her feet before slipping her sandals on. She put on her coverup and began to stroll back towards Fisherman’s Wharf and then onto Cannery Row.

Erin liked the town. It was nice and had a good vibe to it. The area was beautiful and had a lot of geomantic power flowing through it. This energy was renewing her strength and she needed that. She had come down from San Francisco after helping a group of witches fight off a nest of Dybeck. It hadn’t been a pleasant fight and a few of the witches hadn’t made it out. Staying for the funerals had been tough but she had done it. Fights like that were sad and she was regretful that they had occurred. It was almost as bad as Atlanta had been… almost.

She shook her head, tossing her long red hair, trying to clear the dark images from her thoughts. There was no need to call back tainted Chi. A long slow exhalation followed by a deep breath of Yang charged air helped. The Sun did its job so well, making her smile

When she reached the pier, by the Custom House Museum, she was wondering about what would be good for dinner. She would probably go back to Tillie Gort’s for another All-in-one plate. The food was phenomenal, especially with the veggie burger. She was looking forward to having yet another good meal in this town. There were plenty of good restaurants to choose from and that made her happy. Eating well seemed to be so easy here.

Lighthouse Avenue took her back to the Cannery Row area. It was geared heavily to the transient tourist crowd, which filled the area; however there were still some nice places to go. Her hostel was in this area, a few blocks up at Hawthorne and Irving. Everything she wanted to do or where she wanted to go was all within walking distance.

She paused on the jogging trail, to figure out what seemed to draw her. Did she want to head out to Asilomar Beach again, to watch the sunset? Maybe head to the much closer Lover’s Point, to look out across the bay? She headed back to the hostel to clean up from her day of activity while she thought. She was looking forward to going out tonight and was sure the Tao would guide her to something nice. The Tao always provided.

* * *

Dinner had been great, as expected, and it had been fun flirting with that young Airman. Ike had been studying Farsi and was so proud to be doing so. Over a few drinks they had chatted and even kissed some. This being a girl thing was certainly different and she enjoyed it much more than she had expected. Anya and the other girls at Bikini Beach had shown her how much fun it could be as a girl, and she appreciated it.

Suddenly, she felt an urgent pull, as if someone was in danger nearby, danger that was not natural. Erin broke into a sprint down the pathway; breathing in a way to pull in more. She wanted to make sure that she had the energy to deal with whatever she came across.

The wrongness she felt was coming from the train cars area, near the main part of Cannery Row, by the Carousel. Several street kids were scattering from them like a flock of birds, almost pointing to the danger. It was just ahead. There!

There was a young boy being dragged behind the old freight cars, back into the shadowed area. Power could be felt keeping the screams from going anywhere. It felt to Erin as if the sound itself were being consumed, sucked into the dark figure. She ran faster, using her Chi to make it possible. She focused her energy in preparation for this. What ever it was that had dragged the boy was going to be very sorry.

The flying kick caught it in the back, causing them to stumble forward, releasing the kid. As expected, the boy took off running, getting away from this whole situation. Erin centered herself and closed with whatever it was, hands at the ready for either spells or strikes.

The face that was turned her direction had empty eye sockets and a large mouth that was wide, breathing in Erin’s Chi. She quickly cut that line of pull with a brisk motion of her hand. The creature stumbled back some, as if the release of tension were unexpected. She thrust her hand into her purse for one of her prayer sheets. If she pulled out either that or a Talisman, it would be good. She recognized the creature for what it was, a Hungry Ghost.

The Ghost moved towards her, arms wide, to grab her in its powerful grip. Erin spun past the arm and threw the ghost to the ground with a one handed flip. The wrist lock would hold a normal human, but not a Hungry Ghost. She hurriedly pulled out a prayer sheet. She could feel the energy inside the rice paper, waiting to be brought forth with her Chi. With a breath she charged it and flung it at the Ghost.

It had tried to dodge, but it was clear that the creature had not been expecting resistance of this nature. The sheet caught it on the shoulder and then the creature stiffened, there was a muted flash and then internal flames consumed it, until only ash remained. Erin scanned the area, looking to see if there were any others. It was rare but sometimes Hungry Ghosts worked together.

The area was clear. Nobody in the white building with the carousel had noticed anything. She exhaled slowly, letting the adrenalin flow out leaving her with that tired feeling. The boy wasn’t anywhere in sight. So much for getting more information about this whole situation. She headed towards the hostel and hopefully to a goodnights sleep. She certainly could use it.

* * *

The pancakes were incredible and the other food was tasty as well. This restaurant at one end of a little mall complex was wonderful. Supposedly this was the best breakfast spot in town from what one of the locals had told her. She could easily believe that given how good the food was and how big the line was to get in. Once done and while savoring her mug of tea, she turned her thoughts to the day and what she should do. Maybe go SCUBA diving? That might be fun. Or maybe head to the farmer’s market that evening. She could even do both.

She had dressed casually in a green dress she had gotten. It had no sleeves and a hood on the back. As far as she could tell, the hood served no purpose but it did look cute. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and she slipped on her Chacos. The sandals were comfortable and would be easy to walk in. Once she hefted her purse she was on her way back to the downtown area where most of the things she liked to do were.

Erin was wearing her swimsuit under her dress, the same one that had magically appeared with her transformation. It was comfortable and it did make her quite nostalgic for that transformative week. She did miss her friends from there, but her walkabout continued, despite her elevation to Sage. She was actually quite used to it. She would eventually find her home. Her Master had told her that with a little smile.

As she walked down the jogging trail past the Coast Guard pier, she noticed that there was someone waiting for her a little farther down. It was the young boy from last night. She headed straight for the young lad, noticing that the boy was fidgeting nervously. As she closed she asked, “Can I help you?”

“I…could you…I mean…I need your help.” stammered the boy. He couldn’t be more than eleven or twelve. Erin noticed that there was something interesting going on with his Chi and she cocked her head.

“Alright. What can I do for you?” Erin was getting intrigued and this felt so right, as if the Tao had guided her here on purpose, which it probably had. The Tao was tricksy that way.

“A bunch of my friends have been attacked by that thing you fought and no one has believed us. It hasn’t killed them, but they aren’t the same anymore.” The boy really couldn’t meet her eyes.

“Why ask me?”

“Because you kicked that things ass. I just felt that you might be able to do something.”

“What’s your name?”

Erin could see the boy blush, even with the face turned downwards, as it reached the ears. The kid’s energy was roiling, as if considering lying or something. The answer was soft, almost to the point where she had to strain to hear. “Melissa. My name’s Melissa.”

This caught Erin by surprise. A boy named Melissa? The energy was male, as far as she could tell casually, so how could this boy be a girl? “Okay Melissa. Why don’t you tell me what’s been going on and I can see if there is anything I can do to help you.”

Erin and the boy-girl headed downtown. When they reached Alvarado Square, Melissa let her towards a small park area by the Customs House. They sat on a small bench and Erin waited for the story.

“About three months ago all this shit started happening. Some of the local kids were showing up all drained, like their light had gone out. I mean going from goth to blah in a day is pretty hard to believe. It was like they all lost their joy, their dreams, their everything. About a month ago, a few kids had noticed that there had been this somewhat shabby looking guy nearby the day before this had happened to them. Well now we try to stay away from the dude, but he has been setting ambushes for us and stuff. Thank you for saving me, last night by the way.”

Erin nodded. It certainly sounded like a Hungry Ghost. She knew how to deal with those, and besides, she may have already solved a big part of the problem. “You’re welcome. I think I might be able to help you. What attacked you was something called a Hungry Ghost. They are creatures who have been reborn to this life with an insatiable hunger. They get this due to an excess of desire. They consume people’s life force, dreams, hopes, things like that. They are very powerful but they can be fought.

She thought for a moment, unsure of what to say next. “As for your friends… I won’t know for sure until I take a look at them. There may be nothing that can be done for them, so don’t think I can solve everything. Oh, by the way, my name is Erin Summers.”

“You mean like Buffy Summers?” asked the boy-girl wide eyed.

“Well, we do share a last name but it has nothing to do with her. I’m not a Vampire Slayer.” Erin sighed, wondering why Joss Whedon seemed to hate her so.

“I don’t know. You looked a lot like a Slayer to me, the way you fought that thing.” replied Melissa.

After a sigh filled with the sound of long suffering, Erin continued, “Can I see one of your friends who was affected?”

“Sure. Come on.” Melissa led Erin uphill, towards the Military Base. After cutting down a side street they reached a house that looked similar to all the other houses in the neighborhood. Melissa rang the doorbell and the two of them waited.

The door opened and this boy, about the same age as Melissa, said emotionlessly, “Yes.”

“Aaron, hi! Can we come in?” replied Melissa brightly.

“Sure.” With that, the boy turned and went back inside, apparently not caring if they followed. They followed him into the living room, where the boy just sat down in front of the Television set, watching it blankly, watching some daytime talk show.

Erin watched the boy closely, trying to read the boy’s Chi signature. It seemed frayed, as if something had been torn out, eaten. She frowned. This raw wound of the spirit was not a good thing. The boy just sat there and stared at the television while Melissa struggled to pull him into conversation. The boy would say short, direct answers that held no life to them, utterly monotone and then just stared.

She closed her eyes and opened herself to the universal Chi. She reached out and could feel that the boy’s Shen had been ravaged. The boy’s spirit, power of mind, had been the particular focus of this Hungry Ghost. She would try to repair it but Shen was the toughest of the Three Treasures to repair. She looked closer and noticed that it was even more specific. It had gone after the boy’s Meng, or dreams. What the hell? Usually Hungry Ghosts went after Chi or Jing, the less rarified energies, so this was unusual. Just looking at this whole mess, Erin wasn’t quite sure she could fix this.

She stretched out her energy and struggled to close the gaping energetic wound. It was bad and she felt like she was only able to staunch the wound rather than fix it. Maybe her master could fix this, or one of the Immortals, but it was currently beyond her meager abilities. Once she stabilized things she stepped back and took deep breaths, reenergizing.

Erin shook her head at Melissa and the young boy-girl realized what that meant. She frowned, not saying anything. Melissa said her good-byes and the boy grunted a response and didn’t look away from the screen. They left the house and headed downhill. Neither spoke on their way down.

“I’m sorry Melissa. That was more damage than I am able to deal with. I can check with one of my teachers to see if they have an idea, but there is nothing else I can do at the moment.”

Melissa shrugged her shoulders and said, “Thank you for trying and for taking care of that thing.”

“Tell you what; if you can take me to the various attack sites I can try to figure out what’s going on. Is that okay?” After failing to help her friend, Erin really wanted to help and this was the best she could do at this point.

“Okay. Want to go now?” The boy-girl seemed to be much livelier at the prospect. Erin smiled slightly.

“Sure. Lead on.” They wove through the streets on their way back down to the water.

“Most of them have been just off the Row and by Customs House. There have been a few outside of that, but seven of the nine have been in those places.” Melissa explained that carefully, making sure that Erin followed her statements. “One was by the pool and the park and the other one near the Community College. I think those two were the first though.”

“That is a bit strange. Usually they eat and move on, not stay in one area. That makes them a target and easier to hunt. This is atypical behavior for a Hungry Ghost.” Erin tightened her eyes as she thought through this. The behavior was telling her something but nothing was clicking yet. It bothered her.

They walked as she thought through this, trying to figure out what the story was telling her. Why would a Hungry Ghost be eating dreams and Shen? What was there in Spirit and Dreams that wasn’t in Chi or Jing? Both of those were the usual meals of choice for those creatures and not Shen, especially since it wasn’t that fully developed in most people, especially for teenagers.

The first place they stopped at was near where they had been sitting earlier. Erin walked onto the spot and opened up her energy, to try and feel the movement of the thing. The first she realized was that the Hungry Ghost who had gotten someone here was not the same one she had destroyed. “Oh shit.”

“What?!” spluttered a worried Melissa.

“There is more than one in the area.” Erin went back to the slight energy traces, trying to go deeper into the energetic residue. It seemed as if there was some sort of pulsing, like a beacon, about where the Ghosts felt things. Was something drawing Hungry Ghosts here, or an even worse situation, someone?

She opened her perception up, trying to see if she could follow the pulse, to see if she could figure out where it was coming from. She got nothing, as it got lost in the energy of the city. “Melissa, we need to go back to where you were attacked to see if we can get more information. Is that okay?”

“Yeah, that’s cool.” It was still hard to believe that this person with the very masculine internal energy was a girl. Maybe she should ask about it? But first, she needed to check on something much more basic.

“Won’t your parents worry?”

“Nope. They are both professors at MIIS, so they are pretty busy. And besides, it’s summer, so I would be out and about anyway. This thing has been the most dangerous thing happening in the area and since no one has died or been hospitalized, no one has noticed anything.” Melissa sounded a little bitter through that answer. Something else to pursue?

“Alright. Let’s go then.” Erin lead off, keeping her pace moderate so that Melissa didn’t have to run to keep up. After walking thousands of miles, Erin could really cover some distance when she wanted to.

“Wait, hold up. Richard! Hey Richard! Come over here.” Melissa was yelling at this tall, thin boy with long black hair who was wearing a black leather trench coat.

The boy lanked his way over to them, his limbs gangly. He brushed the hair out of his eyes. “Hey Mel, what’s up?”

“Not much Dick. I just wanted to ask you about Jose? How’s he doing?”

“Not too bad, I guess. He mostly goes out and then right back home, staring at things. He can’t play Halo for shit anymore though. Who’s this?”

“Richard, this is Erin. Erin this is the six foot dick of Alvarado.”

“Pleased to meet you.” The tall kid stuck out a hand, with a big grin on his face, clearly proud of his name.

Erin took it and shook it. “Pleased to meet you.”

“Well, see you later Richard and watch you’re back.”

“You too Mel.”

The boy headed off, and Erin and Melissa headed off back towards the spot of the attack Erin stopped. “So, Richard?”

“One of us kids. Everyone calls us the Alvarado Rats, since we usually hang out on Alvarado or in the plaza. He is one of the kids who has always managed to get away from those things, I guess those long legs are good for something.” Melissa explained, hoping to clear up the issue.

Erin nodded. “So, Mel, tell me about yourself. So far all I know is that your name is Melissa and what your parents do for a living. That and what your Chi is like is all I know.”

“Chi? You mentioned that before. What the hell is that?”

“It’s your internal energy. It’s what grows with your breath and keeps you alive. When it depletes, you sicken and die. Each person’s Chi has a slightly different feel to it and that information can tell you a lot about the person. I’m not as good as my Master is at reading this but I can tell several things about people by their Chi alone.” Erin watched Melissa’s face out of the corner of her eye when she said this.

Melissa looked worried, like she had just been found doing something naughty. “Wh- what sorts of things?”

“You know basic things like age, gender, cultivation of internal energy, that sort of thing.” replied Erin, noting the worry.

“Oh.” The laugh was nervous, like she was trying to cover something up. If so, it wasn’t working very well.

“Yeah. So, tell me about yourself?”

“Uh… I… you see… uhm… Middle School. Uhm… like sports. Uh…”

“Melissa, it’s okay. What are you nervous about?”

“My energy… is it… I mean… is it…”

“Masculine energy?” asked Erin kind of off handedly, as if it were a non-issue.

Melissa blushed brightly and stopped in her tracks. Erin turned to face the girl. She just stood there and started to shake. Erin pulled the boy-girl into a hug. As the teenager started to cry, Erin ran her hand down the boy-girl’s hair, trying to soothe them. “Shhh… it’ll be alright, Mel.”

The boy-girl shook with tears, and then slowly quieted. “I… I’m a boy. I know I am, despite my body. I hate having to wear dresses and skirts. I just want to be one of the guys but I can’t. I can’t take it but I don’t know want to do.”

“Mel, it’ll be alright. Honestly. This sort of thing can be dealt with. Do you want me to call you Mel, will that help?”

The boy shook his head yes.

“Okay. Then I’ll just treat you like a boy and call it a day. So, let’s go Mel. We have things to figure out and this isn’t the time to really worry about this issue. Besides, if you help me figure this out then I will do what I can to help you out. Deal?”

Mel looked up at her, with hope in her/ his eyes. “Deal.”

“Okay. So, how about after we check the next site we get some lunch. Sound good to you?” Erin worked to keep things from going too far out of control. Mel was at a point where his emotions and hopes could make this a bit messy. They were powerful and kids weren’t used to dealing with such power. Maybe that was the reason for the targets? At this age the dreams would be very strong, very powerful. That could make a rich target for something like a Hungry Ghost. And with Mel’s dreams… she needed to make a talisman for Mel before things got too out of hand. She was a prime target.

The site of the attack she had interrupted had energy signatures that were much clearer to read, being fresher. From what she could tell, there was something that seemed to be working like a beacon summoning Hungry Ghosts here. How many were in the area, she didn’t know. What ever was causing the summoning had to be found and destroyed and whatever Ghosts were in the area destroyed. It was the only way to make sure this problem got resolved. This was a nightmare issue for anyone to have to face.

Erin was quiet as Mel led them down to the Wharf for food. The food was sure to be good, since the catch was brought up from the boats and into the restaurants. Erin ordered the clam chowder and a fish filet, as she had decided that the energy she got off the fish was worth modifying her vegetarianism for it. Mel got fish and chips. The conversation was slight as they were busy enjoying their food. The freshness of the Chowder was wonderful and Erin rolled her eyes and moaned in contentment. It really was quite good, much better than she had expected. Mel had dived into her fish and chips and had yet to come up for air.

Once they had finished and Erin had paid, they had walked back out to the plaza, near the Maritime Museum. “Let me take you home.”

“I don’t need you to take me home. I can look out for myself.” countered Mel.

“Mel, I don’t doubt you can take care of yourself in most cases, but these Hungry Ghosts are something you can’t really fight. Think about what you would be like if I hadn’t come to your rescue? You would have lost your light, your dreams and gone blah.” said Erin, trying to get through to the young man.

Mel paused and thought about what the older woman had said. She grimaced and then nodded. “You have a point.”

“Come on. I’ll have something for you tomorrow that can give you some protection from them. Then you can worry about yourself. I can’t stop these things without someone to help show me around this area and if you get grabbed then there is really nothing I can do.” Erin hoped that Mel didn’t think of the obvious flaw in what she had to say.

The two of them walked back uphill, heading up from the other end of Alvarado, near where the busses circled. It was a bit of a walk, but after Erin’s experiences, it was hardly exhausting. After about a mile or so, they reached the house that Mel said was her’s. Erin said her goodbyes and headed right back the way she had come. Her thoughts turned to what she needed to do in order to take care of this problem.

She let the Tao guide her feet and she located a few more spots where attacks had happened. While it was clear that the energy signature of the Ghosts changed, there was still that underlying pulse which troubled her. If only she knew who or what the hell was causing this. If she knew, she could take action.

Walking out to Asilomar beach, she watched the sunset, letting her thoughts roll free like the tide. The crash of the waves and the cry of the seagulls were soothing. Erin had to make a protective talisman for Mel and then maybe consult the I Ching for information. She was kind of at a loss for a plan for what to do and that was the best way she could think of to get some guidance. The I Ching had never guided her wrong before and she seriously doubted that it would now.

On her way back to the hostel Erin stopped for some dinner. Since she was deep in thought she ended up waving away a few people who probably would have been good partners for the night. There was also the fact that she didn’t have the time for sex with the other things she had to do tonight. Once she finished her meal she headed back to her room to take care of the business at hand.

When she got there, she discovered that her roommate was gone and she was all alone. Erin smirked, amazed at how the Tao influenced everything. This would certainly make everything a whole lot easier. She pulled out her more magical stuff from the bottom of her backpack. In order to make a protective talisman she would need a lot of things to make sure it was powered correctly. No need to exert the effort unless you were serious about it.

Once everything was in front of her, placed correctly, she slowed and deepened her breathing, dropping into meditation. She let herself drift away and enjoyed the sensation of the Tao beginning to fill her. The slight tiredness she had been feeling left her as the wave of energy filled her to overflowing. She opened her eyes and began to make the talisman, using herbs to help get the particular energies placed within the metal octagon.

She wove the energy into the metal carefully, making sure that it would hold its power as well as the charm empowering it. The work was slow, but the metal began to glow softly as the power meshed with the metal itself. The characters on the back shone clear as day and the T’ai Chi and the hexagrams on the other side glowed as well. It felt good, strong. She exhaled as the wave of energy left her. She had finished the Talisman.

Erin sat back on the bed after cleaning up all the things she had used to make the item for Mel. She knew that there were more than one Hungry Ghost in the area and that something seemed to be calling them there. The whole situation was getting out of hand and out of her ability to deal with. Her Master might be able to deal with all of this, but she certainly couldn’t. She needed help and guidance.

The problem was that this was something much more Eastern than Western and though Grandmother and Anya were very talented this wasn’t their sort of battle. Master Kwai was currently in China, somewhere in the mountains meditating and thus unavailable. She was out of options and she knew it.

The I Ching might have some advice. Erin realized that and shook her head, sad that she didn’t think of it earlier. It could certainly tell her what was going on, or at least give her some guidance in dealing with this. She had everything she needed for that in her backpack. The spell of expansion was really useful at times like these and it allowed her to carry her entire library with her. That and all of the clothes she had gotten. And shoes.

She spread out the Yarrow stalks on the floor in front of her. The coins were faster but less accurate when things needed to be exact, and she needed things to be as accurate as possible. This situation was certainly too dangerous for anything else but the greatest degree of accuracy available. She deserved to give those kids, those Alvarado Rats, the best she could, especially the ones who had their dreams eaten away. Those were the ones that really needed the healing and the vengeance for what had been taken from them.

She cleared her thoughts and ran all the information about this situation through her head. When it seemed like she had hit everything about this situation she reached out and sorted the yarrow stalks, going through the pattern of sorting and then figuring out how many were left, the numbers slowly falling out into the individual lines, broken and solid, yin and yang. She finished and looked at the hexagram that had formed. Without looking Erin grabbed her copy of the I Ching and got to the appropriate section.

* * * * *

After she woke up she headed towards the shower. Erin took her time, letting the warm water loosen stiff muscles. She loved the feel of the goat’s milk soap on her body. It got her clean and moisturized in one step. She liked that. Besides it was all natural.

She grabbed a nicer pair of panties for today, hunter green satin. She had a matching bra and put that on settling herself in the cups. The color looked good on her and she had always liked it. She didn’t care for the yellow that was a more traditional Taoist color, since it did nothing for her skin tone, but she really couldn’t help that. She looked terrible in yellow.

She pulled out a pair of capris and a nice light peasant blouse. They would be comfortable and more importantly, she could fight in them. She considered over shoes. Her Chaco’s were comfortable but maybe today was a day for boots? She got out a pair of socks her mom had knitted for her and got her boots on. Sure they were a few years old, but they were quite broken in and very comfortable. Erin liked this look and smiled at herself in the cheap back of the door dorm mirror that was there. She looked cute.

With a quick turn of the hand, Erin had her red hair up in a twist. That would keep hair off the back of her neck for now, held up with a butterfly barrette. She grabbed her purse and made sure to grab the Talisman she made for Mel. Forgetting that would make her feel really dumb and she wasn’t a blond. After giving the room a quick once over visually, everything looked tidy and in place so there was no need to clean anything before she went anywhere. Time to get to work.

Or at least breakfast. She walked over to the breakfast place by the aquarium and got in line. This place was certainly worth the wait. Once she had been seated outside on the patio, she ordered a coffee and an omelet, with rye toast. The sound of the seagulls filled the air, since the place was only a block from the beach and it was kind of soothing.

She had certainly come a long way from Bikini Beach both in distance, time and experience. Who would have thought that becoming a girl would have freed her? Certainly not her. Such things had never crossed Eric’s mind way back when. Now she was totally comfortable with who and what she was. Of course having her parents come back from the dead had certainly helped with that. It had been the best surprise that anyone had ever gotten her.

And her life really wasn’t all that different overall. Sure her clothes were different and she used a different bathroom, but otherwise things were pretty similar to when she had been a guy. The only things that had changed were the trappings of her life. Well, that wasn’t totally true, but it was true enough in the ways that really counted.

What would the same experience do for Mel? Would it bring the troubled girl some solace? It was something to consider, but Erin didn’t know any spells that would accomplish that. Well, that was neither here nor there at the moment, as there were larger problems right now that she had to deal with.

If Mel wasn’t along Alvarado then she would head up to the girl’s house to get her. She did not know the area as well as she needed to right now and Mel could certainly get her to where she needed to go. She needed to get to Big Sur and she only had a rough idea of how to get there. That and it was more than was easily accomplishable on foot. Erin needed a car. Mel might know where to get one of those as well. Otherwise it would take her a few days to get there.

She was almost at Alvarado when a paper bag caught her eye. It was filled with money, various 10’s and 20’s. It should be enough to get a rental car and maybe a few other things. She smiled and put the money in her purse. The Tao certainly provided here. That was certainly appreciated.

Mel was in the park by Fisherman’s Wharf, sitting on the edge of the fountain. He looked bored and a little skittish. Erin called out his name and waved. Mel waved back and got too his feet. With one hand Erin drew out the Talisman, “Here you go. This should take care of you.”

Mel took the talisman and looked at it quizzically. “This will keep me safe?”

“Yep, as long as you wear it you will be safe. See, really easy.” Erin smiled at the boy in progress. “Hey, do you know where Big Sur is?”

“Yeah. Why?” Mel looked a bit confused.

“Well, I found out there is a Taoist Temple I can go to out there. I can get some help in solving this problem and maybe in helping your friends get better. I just need to rent a car and then we can head out there.”

Mel looked thoughtful. “Why don’t we ask someone in the hotel if we can get to a car rental? I have no idea where one is.”

The Concierge at the Portola Hotel was very helpful and gave them directions both to a car rental place and for the easiest route out towards Big Sur. After about twenty minutes the two of them were in a blue Honda heading out towards Carmel and then to Big Sur. Erin drove quietly, focusing on the traffic and the road, since she was an infrequent driver. Mel was busy scanning the radio channels trying to find something decent to listen to. It all sounded like loud crap to Erin, but she let the boy have his way.

The drive was beautiful, with the mountains, trees and the ocean. Carmel was shaded by plenty of trees and seemed a bit too commercial for Erin’s tastes. They drove on, over a hill and across some fenced in grazing area as well as the local lighthouse, far out on a point away from the road. Erin reached out with her chi, hoping to find whatever guide marks had been chosen to help hide the temple. It took a while, but as they were weaving around the curves of the road something called to her. She smiled and followed the directions that were there for the truly initiated.

Mel turned to look at her as she turned off the road on to this all but dirt road, mulch everywhere. They drove up, through and around the trees following the narrow path ever upward on a road that got progressively better. Suddenly, after fifteen minutes of weaving around terrain they came out to an open spot at the top of this particular mountain. There before them stood the temple.

The building was in the classical design, with red and gold being two of the more commonly used colors. Dragons, Kirin and Phoenix decorated the walls. The slate tile roof was also classic Chinese architecture. Erin smiled as she parked the car near the front gates. She stepped out of the car and took a deep breath, the air here was much better than she had expected and she filled her lungs deeply with air that held some of the ocean’s tang as well as the forests loam. It was rich with powerful Chi.

Mel got out of the car and looked around a bit confused. If something this cool had been this close to the city, how come he had never heard about it? This was something that was unexpected and took his breath away. It was like that antique store down by the Catholic Church, by the park, but this was much, much cooler. The only other pagoda that he had seen was in Chinatown up in the City. Of course they had the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park as well, so they kind of had an unfair advantage in the cool stuff department.

Erin turned to Mel and asked, “What do you think?”

The boy/ girl shrugged, trying to maintain the teenage aloof cool. “It’s okay.”

“Let’s go.” As the two of them neared the structure the doors opened, seemingly by themselves. They made their way through the demon barriers and stood inside the temple. A few priests or nuns in training swept the walkways, making sure the pine needles stayed where they were being asked to stay. The place was quiet and serene and called deeply to Erin. She hadn’t been this peaceful just due to place in a long time, honestly since she had left Bikini Beach.

Mel had grown quiet and internal. He seemed to be doing a lot of thinking and Erin gave the boy his time. Besides, so long as he followed Erin then everything would be fine, hopefully. Erin stopped one of the workers to ask where the Geomancer was. Mel was obviously trying to follow the Chinese words and failing. Once she had directions she led them deeper into the temple complex.

The smell of incense was thick in the air and Mel was obviously not used to it, sneezing occasionally. When they reached the area in question, Erin knocked politely on one of the pillars. She waited for a response before heading in.

“Enter.” The deep, masculine voice filled the air, making it sort of thrum.

Erin entered and bowed to the robed individual. “Greetings from my Master Shinju Kwai. I am Erin Summers, Scholar and Sage and this is my companion Mel Russel. We have come to you for aid in fighting Hungry Ghosts who seem to be drawn to the Bay area. I have already checked the area and while I can feel the pull of some sort of object, I cannot identify it. We need your aid.”

The late middle aged Asian man sat there, running his hands over his thin beard as he concentrated. His hair was still dark and long, in a much older style. “It is possible that something is acting like a beacon for them. The Dragon Lines have been restless these last few months, moving oddly around the Bay area. Perhaps that is in response to some demonic object that is in town.”

“I was thinking the same thing, but I cannot narrow down where to search for such a thing. It seems almost masked.” replied Erin, unhappily. “Geomancy is not a skill on mine and so I request your aid.”

The old man turned and looked at his Lo Pan compass, there on the floor in front of him. He frowned and then stroked his beard a few times in thought. “I cannot narrow it down from here. However I can send my Apprentice with you, and perhaps they will have better luck closer to the item in question.”

Erin bowed deeply and Mel followed suit, not sure what else to do here. This place looked like a museum. The old man clapped his hands twice and in walked this gorgeous Asian woman, about the same age as Erin dressed in these robes. Erin was unable to take her eyes off of the girl.

The girls midnight black hair was up, being held in place by several jeweled hair sticks. Her eyes were a rich blue and her skin glowed like morning dew off of Jasmine. Her lips were full and smiled slightly at them as she bowed in greeting. The old man smiled and said, “This is Xiao Li, my apprentice.”

“A pleasure, I am Erin Summers, student of Shinju Kwai. This is Mel Russel, my guide.” Erin was really hoping that her racing heart couldn’t be heard. This woman was stunning and she could not take her eyes off of her.

“A pleasure to meet you.” There was a music to the woman’s voice that matched her looks. Erin sighed.

“Xiao Li, I need you to travel with this Priestess for a while. There is a problem down in Monterey and they need our assistance.” stated the Geomancer, “I think we can accommodate this request.”

“As you say Master. I will change and gather my things. I will see you both outside.” With that she bowed again and left the room.

Erin had been all but struck dumb by the presence of the girl. There was something about her that drew Erin in, something that would not be denied. This worried and intrigued her. What could she do? What should she do?

She bowed and said her farewells to the Geomancer, following all the courtesies. The man was giving them a great deal of help, in the form of his apprentice. She should be able to help them narrow down their search and get to the bottom of things. It would be nice to have some help in this.

When she walked out, Erin was shocked again. Instead of wearing a qipao or cheongsam or any other traditional Chinese dress, she was wearing tight jeans and a light red t-shirt, with a pair of sandals, looking very similarly attired to Erin. She looked really hot. Mel smacked Erin and she blushed, certain that she had been staring at the woman. She just hoped that she had not been drooling.

Xiao Li smiled and said, “So, where to first?”

Mel chimed in at this point. “Why don’t we talk things over at lunch that would be good?”

Xiao Li laughed at that and replied, “Well then, lead the way young sir.”

Erin loved her laugh. It reminded her of the clear sounds of tinkling bells. She shook her head to clear it of fantasy. Yet the images of her and Xiao Li together kept distracting her. Nothing was going on and she just needed to focus on the mission at hand. Thinking that had little effect.

Thankfully driving took her focus away from the woman sitting next to her. Mel had dived for the backseat and watched the events with great amusement. It was clear to the boy/ girl that the two women were besotted with each other. He was wondering how long it would be until the two figured things out. From his point of view, adults were stupid about things like that.

Once they turned onto Pacific Coast Highway heading back towards Carmel and Monterey talk turned to food, as Mel’s stomach was growling audibly. “So, where do you want to eat Mel?”

“Uhm…anywhere is really fine with me.” Mel was unsure of what to say around the Asian girl, after the woman had developed such a rapport with Erin. “Food would be good.”

Xiao Li smiled broadly. “Well then, what level of food are you interested in?”

This took both Erin and Mel off guard. At nearly the same time they said, “Level?”

Xiao Li giggled softly, “Okay let me explain. The first level is food you would rather not eat, but you’re really hungry. The second level is food that you unwrap, like most every fast food place. Third level is food people unwrap for you. A lot of the lower end chain restaurants are like this. The fourth level is food people bring you. Most restaurants fall into this category. Waiters are usually a dead give away. The last level is food you really want to eat but don’t actually have the cash for. Like those expensive places where you are paying fifty dollars or more for a meal. See…levels.”

Mel consulted his stomach and said, “Level two food would be fine.”

She smiled, “Alright. There is a Jack in the Box by the Mall. We can get food there. Okay?”

Mel smiled happily. She was going to feed him and he was quite alright with that. Erin was amused and just shrugged at the idea. Maybe later today, when they had gotten Mel dropped off the two of them could have a quiet dinner somewhere. There were several nice sushi places out there which might be nice to share with someone. She shook her head to clear it. She was not here to date this girl; she was here to hunt down Hungry Ghosts and save these kids. She tried to focus and turned into the restaurant.

After they picked up their meals at the drive through they dropped off the car at the rental agency. They sat just outside of the place, finishing their meals. The fish sandwich wasn’t the greatest, but it was the closest thing she could find to what she wanted to eat. If only they had veggie patties.

“So, what do we do now?” asked Xiao Li.

“Well, let me take you to the spots where the attacks happened and after you hear the story you should be able to find what it is that we’re looking for. Then we get it, destroy it and hunt down the remaining Hungry Ghosts. And that’s that.” explained Erin, between sips of her iced tea.

“Sounds like a simple plan and the sites certainly should enable me to track the energy source back. I can help some against the Ghosts but not much. That part I’ll just leave to you. I can fight but mostly I could delay them.” She smiled at Erin and the redhead’s heart beat faster.

Mel looked back and forth between the two women. They were giving each other a look that Mel had seen before. Whenever that look was passed between his parents, it meant an early bedtime and loud music. “You don’t need me for this part, do yah?”

Erin looked confused for a moment. “No, not really. Why do you ask?”

Mel shrugged. “Not much. I just want to go do something, see some friends. I have the talisman and will be home before dark. Honest.”

Erin thought about it and gave a surreptitious glance towards Xiao Li. The Asian girl didn’t seem to notice but Mel certainly did. She blushed slightly when she realized that the boy/ girl had caught her. “Okay. Just stay safe and run if they come after you. The Talisman can only do so much. Don’t count on it for your safety if you can run.”

Mel nodded and hustled off. After Mel had gotten out of sight, Xiao Li asked, “Has he always been a boy? His energy is masculine battling feminine. Perhaps one of those who wish to change. I’m just not sure he’d make a pretty girl.”

Erin started laughing. Xiao Li stared at the woman for a few moments until Erin was able to catch her breath. She then asked, “What is so funny about that?”

“Xiao Li, Mel is short for Melissa. She wants to be a he.”

Xiao Li blushed and looked away. Erin found it terribly cute. “I’m trying to help him and find a way for her to be a him. She is the one who really brought this situation to my attention. So, that’s the situation with Mel.”

Xiao Li nodded. “I guess that makes sense. I mean you can tell that the poor boy is suffering. Correcting things will certainly settle the flow of Chi around him.”

Erin started and looked at Xiao Li more intently. “Wait, what did you say?”

“Uhm…correcting things will certainly settle the flow of Chi around him.” replied Xiao Li.

“The Hungry Ghosts are perhaps being drawn to teenagers with these sort of issues, gender or some other issue, that has their Chi all roiled up. The Ghosts see it as a meal boiling over and they can’t resist it. The kid’s issues are a part of the draw. We need to find that item fast and get rid of it.”

The two of them hustled down Alvarado Street, into the Plaza and over to the Park. Once at the first site she reached into her backpack and pulled out a very complex Lo Pan. The Feng Shui compass was three dimensional, able to spin on multiple axes. Erin had never seen anything so cool.

Xiao Li stood there, with the compass spinning wildly and then slowing down to a stop. She looked at it, reading the different markings, trying to figure out what was being said. She turned to Erin and said. “The energy touch at this site is too weak. I can’t really get a good read, but I do have a feel for it. We need to go to another site.”

Erin nodded and they headed out along the path towards Cannery Row. A group of soldiers ran past, huffing, their shorts clinging to their butts. The presence of the Military in this town was more décor rather than anything else. They both paused to enjoy the view of very fit young men and women. The smile they shared clearly spoke of their pleasure and seeing all those fit soldiers run by.

They kept walking, with the occasional jogger passing them until they came to the trains by the carousel. “This is where I stopped an attack on Mel, just a few days ago. It should be a much easier read. I think this is the freshest attack.”

Xiao Li nodded absently and pulled out her compass. It spun under her Chi, trying to find the traces she was looking for. After a few minutes it stopped and she could read it. She pointed off in the direction of Alvarado Street. “It’s over that way, but it’s masked somehow. I can feel it though.”

“Okay, then we need to head that way and see what we can find. Maybe we’ll be able to figure out what we’re dealing with?” replied Erin, shaking her head. “Do we have an idea how far from here it is?”

“Not really. Maybe a few miles away? The compass doesn’t give me a distance but it does show that it is near water.”

They walked back that way, with Xiao Li checking her compass and them adjusting their course. When they spotted Mel on Alvarado Street they called him over. He sighed and asked, “What?”

“We are looking for something in this direction that is near water. Do you know of anything like that?”

It was clear that Mel was trying to figure things out, running through things in his head. “There is a lake surrounding Dennis the Menace Park, which is that way. Does that help?”

Erin thought a moment, trying to recall how the road looked when she had gotten here. There was that lake with the island in the middle which had a park on one side and a cemetery on another. A strange mix but it seemed to work. There were buildings on either side of the park with the beach and community college on the other sides. That did narrow down the search. There had been an attack near that park as the first attack and near the Community College for the second. “Xiao Li, if we get closer will you be able to find the spot?”

“I should be able to. Do we want to do this now?”

Erin stood there pondering over things. While she was ready to battle Hungry Ghosts, she was not ready to deal with a potentially powerful talisman of evil right at this second. The item the boys had used when she had been at Bikini Beach had not been as powerful as this item seemed to be. She needed to be ready for dealing with something like that and she wasn’t. It would be at least a day before she could do something. However, they could go and find the source. They didn’t need to go in, just find which building housed it. That would surely help. “Let’s go.”

It didn’t take them too long to find the site. Along the main street into Monterey was this Asian antique store. The architecture was traditional and that could explain some things as well. The fact that it backed against the Catholic Church also explained why they hadn’t been able to get a lock on it from where they had been. This helped some but also not a lot. They were a bit worried but they had also done what they had set out to do.

Erin and Xiao Li walked with Mel back up the hill to drop him off at his house, with admonitions to stay in for the night. They hoped the boy would actually listen to them.

As they were on their way back down, Xiao Li smiled over at Erin and asked, “So, Erin, would you like to go out with me tonight?”

Erin blinked in surprise. “Excuse me?”

“You. Me. Out. Go. Tonight. Like.” teased Xiao Li, almost giggling.

“Uhm… sure?” replied Erin, more than a little surprised by things. This was not what she had been expecting. “Really? You want to go out with me?”

Xiao Li looked at her through lidded eyes. “Yes. Absolutely yes. I am really attracted to you. I want to do this.”

Erin smiled. Things were looking up. “Well then, why don’t we go some place semi-private, have some food and talk.”

“I can agree with that.” The smile she gave Erin lit up her face.

Once they reached the hostel where Erin was staying the two decided to wander around some. The two walked next to each other, looking at the different buildings and trying to relax, figuring that things would get crazy soon enough. “So what got you into being a Taoist priestess? You don’t see a lot of white girls getting involved in Chinese magic. It’s not a usual Caucasian career path.”

“Fair enough. I met my Master when I was in my teens. I had been studying martial arts and learning everything I could about Taoism. It was pretty cool really. And then my parents died.”

Xiao Li reached out and rested a hand on her upper arm. “Oh Erin, I am so sorry. That had to have been difficult.”

“It was, but things got better, here’s how everything went down…” with that Erin began to retell her story of learning to be a Taoist Alchemian Sorcerer, Bikini Beach and getting her parents back.

“Wait? You used to be a guy? For real?”

“Yeah, but I got better.” joked Erin. “I am much happier this way and have no regrets.”

“Wow… that’s some story.”

“Well, it’s kept me off the streets.”

Xioa Li hip bumped her and laughed. “So do we have a plan yet on how to deal with this item?”

Erin was quiet for a moment, thinking things through, trying to find the right words. “I guess it depends on the item itself. If it is salvageable, good, if not then we need a way to destroy it.”

Xiao Li quirked an eyebrow at that. “So just destroying it to start with won’t work?”

“Well… destroying it was rather the plan but I don’t know what specifically will do it.”

“A hammer?”

“Stop being a dork.”

“Well, you could indeed use a whale penis to break it but that might be excessive.”

Erin grabbed her and began to tickle. Xiao Li squealed happily as she worked to wriggle free. A few people stared and gave them indulgent smiles.

“Run!!” yelled Mel, shoving Nick in the back, away from the Hungry Ghost that neared them.

Nick stumbled some, but managed to get away from the hand reaching for him. Mel dodged out of the way and ran, trying to keep between Nick and the empty eyed creature coming after them. It moved quickly, faster than either kid was expecting.

With a trip, Nick fell onto the ground, rolling on his back. Mel grimaced, got in front of Nick and felt the creature grab her. Nick ran, screaming in fear and did not look back.

The Hungry Ghost grinned evilly, and dragged Mel towards its gaping jaw. With a shriek, she closed her eyes and then there was a bright flash of light. Her skin itched, hairs stood on end and the skin on her neck grew tight. The thing had let her go and she took that moment to run herself. Her skin twitched and her heart raced and she sprinted. What happened to the creature she did not bother to find out.

* * * * *

“This is where you have been having breakfast every morning?”

“Yep. The food is great, its right by the aquarium so I can go in for quick visits pretty easily and I can either head to Pacific Grove and Asilomar or back to Monterey really easily. Positionally it is rather advantageous." replied Erin as she put butter on her croissant. This morning she was having a spinach and mushroom omelet.

“So… tactical breakfast?” asked Xiao Li with a smirk.

“Exactly.” Erin’s grin was very mischievous and playful. She really enjoyed the time she was spending with Xiao Li and was happy that they were spending more time together. Maybe this thing could go somewhere? After all, Xiao Li did like her sense of humor.

“Well then by all means enjoy the perfect fang shui of this breakfast, though let me have that pineapple spear, it is ruining the energy flow of your plate.”

Erin chuckled.

Once they were done, they walked hand in hand back towards Monterey. There were joggers and bicyclists on the wide trail they shared adding to the flow of humanity through the area. The Coastal Oak trees were lovely and were scattered here and there along the walking path. They just relaxed and felt each other’s energy, quiet and calm. All seemed right with the world.

When they got down by the Alvarado area Mel rushed up to them, his eyes a bit wide and he looked shaken. Erin rested a hand on his shoulder and asked, “Are you okay?”

“No. My friend Nick got attacked last night and I managed to save him. It grabbed me but something shocked it and it let me go. But it grabbed me. It could of…” Mel’s voice trailed off.

Erin pulled him into a hug, holding him safely. “It’s okay. What you did was very brave. And you are okay now. We were on our way to get the item and destroy it. Want to come with?”

Mel stepped back, shifted uncomfortably and then nodded. “Yeah, that sounds good.”

“Okay then. Let’s go.” Erin checked her purse to ensure that the paper and ink she would need for ofuda were in there. If she needed to use the prayer sheets in order to magically shut down the object it would be really dumb to find out they were back at the hostel. She was as prepared as she could be to make this happen.

The walk took a bit as it was about a mile or so away. The tension did grow however, as Erin and Mel both clearly expected to get jumped by Hungry Ghosts as they neared the source of the call. They walked along past the McDonalds on the trail and then crossed near the park, down toward the antique store. There was not a lot of foot traffic near the store and that did not make Erin feel better, as she could feel the increase in dark Yin energies as they drew closer.

Since the store was open they walked inside, through the traditional opening which had the wall in front of the door, to stop demons from rushing into the house. That probably kept the Hungry Ghosts out and away from possession of the item itself. The open court yard had some beautiful sculptural pieces, and if it weren’t for the fact that they had come here for a purpose, Erin would have enjoyed browsing. The building itself had the actual furniture pieces.

Finding the vase was very easy as Erin could practically see the waves of energy coming off it. She and Xiao Li came over and looked at it. It was a wide jar with a rounded cap on it that had a lustrous black glaze on it. There were flecks of gold on the surface and indistinct images painted across its surface, like ghosts. On the cap were the characters for containment. Erin carefully reached out and jiggled the cap slightly and the cap moved easily, making her frown. She lifted it off. Inside was written a short Taoist spell of protection. It was also clear that some sort of seal had been broken that had kept the jar shut.

Xiao Li smiled and said, “Oh darling, I really like this piece. We must have it.”

Erin smiled as well, seeing where this was going. It looked like there was going to be some acting now. Maybe it was the right approach, just in case the seal had been broken on purpose. “Sure.”

She looked for the proprietor, who had been hovering nearby. “How much is this vase? It is really an intriguing piece and we must have it.”

“Well, it is an early Qing Dynasty piece, from the late 1600s. The history says it was some sort of magical jar, but that is clearly just a fairy tale. I got it in an estate sale three months ago from an elderly Chinese man whose son had no interest in these things and had tried to see if there had been anything inside. It had apparently been sealed before I obtained it and that would have increased the price. As it is the price runs about twenty-five thousand dollars for this interesting piece of Chinese history.”

Mel goggled at that. Erin nodded and pulled her wallet from her purse. The good thing about her job was that she did get money and it did have occasional use, but she mostly put it into a bank account. Living frugally meant that things like this never fazed her in the slightest. She handed over her card with a smiled and said, “We’ll take it.”

Once it was put in its lined, protective travel box, the little group headed back for the center of town. Mel asked, “So now what?”

Erin looked thoughtful, “I’m not sure. I kind of want to have a coffee or maybe some tea, sit down and think about this. But first things first.” She stopped, set the bag down, pulled out her ofuda and made some sealing sheets, to contain the power. She put one on each surface of the box, activating them with a push of her chi. Once that magic was in place she felt a bit safer to be toting around such an object. “Well, that should ensure that we can have lunch and a drink in peace while we figure out what to do.”

Mel said, “What about Old Fisherman’s Grotto on the Wharf? I like their food and it’s not far.”

Erin and Xiao Li grinned at the suggestion, “That sounds great.”

Once they reached the restaurant, got seated and were halfway through their Monterey style clam chowder, Erin said, “So, I have no idea what someone could have done to contain the Hungry Ghosts. I never learned anything like that; besides, it doesn’t seem to be working like a containment device anymore.”

“I think when the seal was broken, something happened and the energies were reversed. The person who did this was very upset. Their chi had to be very angry in order to reverse the polarity of such an object.” added Xiao Li.

“Do you think we need to find him?”

“No. What he did was probably not done consciously. I doubt he was a threat and if he was, my guess is that he was one of the first that the ghosts ate.” said Xiao Li.

“What if you just destroy it? Would that work?” added Mel, who was eating some fried calamari.

Xiao Li and Erin shared a look and then turned to face Mel. Erin smiled and said, “You know, that just might work. If we break it up and then toss the pieces into the ocean then the summoning part would be taken care of. That just leaves the ghosts already here, and we can hunt them down.”

“Do you really think you can do that?” asked Mel hopefully.

“Sure. I have hunted down a lot of things, so that part is not so bad. As for breaking the vase, get a hammer, turn it into a talisman, and then boom. Toss the pieces into the water and were done.”

“That easy hunh?” asked Xiao Li a bit incredulously.

“Sure, why not?” replied Erin, as if the whole prospect were merely a walk in the park.

“While I am aware that you are a Taoist Priestess and all, I am sure that the object was made by a master craftsman, and a master glazier, using their chi to toughen the object for the sole purpose of holding multiple Hungry Ghosts inside it. That is going to make it a very strong vase and hard to break.” stated Xiao Li.

“That’s why I was going to make the hammer a talisman and use my chi to help my swing. I can do this. Really.”

Conversation died down as their main courses arrived and eating began. After they had gotten a little way into their food talking resumed. Mel asked worriedly, “After we break it, then what?”

“I guess we can dispose of it in the ocean. We just need to arrange a boat to take us out into the bay.” replied Erin.

“Won’t that just mean that the ghosts go into the ocean?”

“If they do, the power of the water will wash the dark yin power right out of them and they would pass away. That much water is not the friend of the Hungry Ghost.” explained Xiao Li. “Water is a powerful cleansing force and the movement of the ocean would scrub them clean quickly.”

“Then why not just throw the thing in whole?”

“These things have a slight tendency of returning and that would just start this whole problem over again. By breaking the object and throwing it in, the power of the object is broken and then it can get cleansed. Problem solved rather than put off so someone else can deal with it later.” Erin took a bite of her food and sighed happily. “I would rather fix the problem rather than put it off. This way no one can get hurt later when I am not here to take care of this..”

“Okay. I don’t know anything about this stuff and you do. I’m just worried because those things have been hurting my friends.”

“I know Mel, and I am trying to help. Once the Urn is taken care of then we go after the Ghosts. It may or may not bring back your friends but it will at least save the others.”

Mel nodded sadly and returned to his fish and chips. Both women were astounded how the girl with the boys energy clearly had a male appetite.

They bought a hammer on the way back to the hostel, making sure to get one with a nice solid head. Once there Erin spent some time turning the hammer into a talisman dedicated to breaking, blessing it in several different ways. That took at least fifteen minutes, while Mel fidgeted and Xiao Li sat patiently.

Once that was done Erin sat up, stretched, and said, “Alright, let’s get this show on the road.”

She grabbed the top sheet from her bed and laid it on the floor. She then took out the vase and laid it in the center of the sheet. She began to gather up the sides and said, “Could I get some help?”

The others helped her get the sheet collected up, leaving room for her arm. Erin picked up the hammer, closed her eyes and centered herself. She felt her energy calm and everything deepen as she connected to the Tao. Once there, she extended her energy through the hammer, activating the energies she had put in it and stepped forward. She slid her arm through the hole, gathered the ends, so no fragments could escape and focused on the vase.

She could feel the dark Yin energy pulsing from the object, trying to overpower the ofuda she had placed on it to try and dampen its call. That worried her, as the amount of power it would take to overpower one of her spellsheets was pretty immense. This made removing this object forever even more imperative. With a final inhale, she brought the hammer down as she exhaled, slamming it into the object with her chi flaring through.

There was a blast of energy that rocked her back on her heels. Mel and Xiao Li almost fell to the ground, thankfully not dropping their parts of the sheet. Now crouched down, she brought the hammer down a few more times, smashing the vase into smaller and smaller pieces. She dropped the hammer and pulled her hand free, wiping the fragments off her arm. Falling backwards onto the floor, she lay there panting.

After a few moments of quiet, Erin said, “Okay, let’s bag it and get a boat.”

“I think you need to rest.” said Xiao Li, a bit worried as Erin was a bit on the pale side.

“I can do that once we have taken care of the vase.” It was clear that Erin was a good bit more exhausted than she had been a few minutes earlier.

“Fine, but once that’s done it’s time to rest.”

“Deal.”

It took them a while to find a charter, as many of those boats were already booked and out on the bay. Once they were able to find the boat they agreed on a price and off they went. Erin sat there holding the bag in her lap, an ofuda on it to try and keep the energy and pieces inside. While Mel and Xiao Li stood at the sides, watching the water. After an hour of heading out into the bay, while Erin had remained focused on keeping the dark Yin contained in the bag itself, the boat stopped. The captain called out, “Okay, we are over the trench where you wanted to be.”

Xiao Li walked up to him, distracting him some as she said, “Thank you very much sir, you really have done us a great service. Or friend, this young man, has never really been out to sea before and we wanted to take him out to the bay where he could see land from a distance and get a feel for the waves. What do you think Mel?”

“I think this is pretty awesome. You do this all the time?” asked Mel, getting into the part of an excited boy.

“Well, yeah. I do Charter tours and a lot of fishing trips. I got away from straight fishing years ago as I could see that there could be more value in working with the tourists than going after the fish themselves. If my engine hadn’t had a problem this morning I wouldn’t have been available for your all this afternoon. I guess it is just your luck.”

Erin walked up, now empty handed, “Indeed it is. Thank you for this. So Mel, maybe the Captain can show you more about the boat and stuff on the way back in?”

“That would be my pleasure. Come on; let me show you the bridge.”

As the Captain led Mel off, Xiao Li turned to Erin and asked, “Taken care of?”

“Yes. It is overboard and I watched it sink. It is gone and no longer a threat to anyone.”

The boat started up again and headed back towards Monterey. Erin slumped against a seat, fairly exhausted. That whole process had been more draining than she had expected. It had taken a lot of energy to break the thing and more to contain it and she was tired. She sat next to Xiao Li and they chatted on the way back about a lot of nothing, and it was nice. The conversations were pleasant and engaging.

Erin even fell asleep for a little bit waking up when the boat docked. She sat up from Xiao Li’s shoulder, clearly a bit confused, “Hunh?”

“Were back in Monterey.”

“Oh. Right. I must have dozed off. Sorry.” said Erin, wiping the sleep sand from her eyes.

Mel actually looked excited and a bit happy as they got off the boat. He gushed, “That was so cool. That boat was awesome. I even got to pilot it a little.”

“Do you want us to escort you back home?” asked Erin.

“Nah, don’t worry about it. I’ll head back now. You get some rest.” It seemed clear by Mel’s tone that he was not expecting them to simply rest.

“You to. Tomorrow we hunt Ghosts, so it may be a bit of a late night.” said Erin, quirking an eyebrow.

“Okay. I’ll clear it with my mom. Thanks for today. I hope this helps.”

“Me too Mel. Me too.”

The women headed back towards the hostel slowly, Xiao Li reaching out to take hold of Erin’s hand. This surprised the red head and she turned to look at the Geomancer. The Asian girl just smiled a bit shyly and walked on. Erin tightened her grip a little and smiled. They took their time, as Erin really was wiped out. She yawned a few times. “Oh, excuse me.”

“For what? You have used a lot of Chi today so it makes sense that you would be tired. Let’s get you back to the hostel and get you some rest.”

“You know… I would love to do more than rest.” Erin waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Xiao Li laughed lightly, delight clear in her voice. “I would to, but if there is to be any chance of defeating the Ghosts tomorrow you need to conserve your chi and strengthen it, not spend it in the happy pursuit of clouds and rain.”

Erin blushed a little. “Well, there is that, but I just want you to stay and be close to me.”

“Well, we can sleep together tonight I guess, but just sleeping. When you no longer need you chi to battle these things then we can…revisit this matter?” Xiao Li grinned happily.

“I would like that. I really do have feelings for you Xiao Li.” admitted Erin.

“Same here. There is just something about you that pulls me and warms me. So I am quite open to revisiting this, should we succeed.”

Erin tightened the grip of her hands and Xiao Li tightened right back.

* * * * *

In the morning, Erin woke to Xiao Li kissing her forehead, “Time to wake up sleepyhead.”

She blinked her eyes open and asked, “What time is it?”

“Nearly nine o’clock. You were a lot more depleted than you thought. I hope the rest did you good?” Xiao Li was already fully dressed and looked ready to go.

Erin sat up and stood, stretching. As her tank top rode up, Xiao Li poked her lightly in the belly button, causing Erin to drop her arms in protest. “Hey!”

Xiao Li laughed and said, “Hurry up or we’ll miss breakfast.”

Erin hurried to get ready and she was caught up to Xiao Li very quickly. “You said something about breakfast?”

She laughed and said, “Yep. We have just enough time to get to your tactical meal place before it closes.”

“Okay then. Off we go.” They took off hand in hand towards the restaurant.

After a good meal Erin figured she needed a good dose of nature to finish the recharge, so they headed out towards Pacific Grove and Asilomar Beach. The walk was fairly long, but it was along the ocean and very scenic. The salt air was very bracing and Erin took a number of deep breaths, trying to build the amount of Chi she had in her stores in order to be prepared for the Hungry Ghosts.

They paused for a while at Lover’s Point, enjoying the view from there. They sat and listened to the waves for a while. It was nice and Erin needed to rest at this point. Her energies were rebuilding and that was a good thing. After a bit they walked on. Instead of heading completely to Asilomar Beach, Erin walked out on the rocks near the Point Pinos Lighthouse, towards where the waves were breaking, spume flying into the air tossed by the wind.

Two of the elements were clearly present here, in both Earth and Water. She had Metal and Wood on her, so she was mostly set. From her experience, even Zippos did not do so well in wind this strong so she did not have a stable source of Fire. That would be fine, but not perfect. That was not a problem though because she could feel Fire just fine, as it was summer, the weather was a bit hot, though it was cooled off by the wind, and the heat of her new relationship was building and slowly blossoming. Yes, she could feel Fire just fine.

Xiao Li checked the space with her compass and she said, “This would be a good spot for you do to some energy work. There is an interesting confluence of energy here that should work well for you to regain your energy.”

“Thanks. That helps. I knew it would be good on one level but to know it is good on deeper levels helps as well. That means that I can recharge more fully than I had expected.” said Erin.

“Good. I want you to succeed tonight, so you fully charged is in my best interest.” Xiao Li came up and hugged her.

Erin smiled brightly and kissed her. “Thanks. Well, let me get to that. We have a lot to do today.”

Erin began to sway, and then move in a much loser form of Tai Chi than she usually used, even looser than Tai Chi dance, just losing herself in the flow of energies. Her eyes closed and she just let herself go, drifting into the tide of the Tao. It enveloped her like a warm current, buoying her and it filled her with comfort and surety. It sustained her and let her fully gather her energy, her dan tien began to overflow with pure chi.

The depths in which she swam allowed her to get a better feel for the Hungry Ghosts that were closer to Monterey than where she was. And she could truly See Xiao Li, see her chi glowing and burning inside like a bonfire, see the light it cast around her and see the link that stretched between the two of them that seemed to be growing in brightness with each new beat of her heart. It was something that Erin had not expected to see and it made her happy.

Erin smiled, and slowly her movements stilled as she drifted out of the flow and back into the real work, the crash of the waves filling her ears. She turned and smiled at Xiao Li, noticing the effect it had on the young woman. It almost made her glow. She walked across the rocks, her eyes locked with Xiao Li’s and took the woman in her arms. She dipped her and kissed her soundly.

Once she was let up Xiao Li swayed a bit, looking a touched dazed and a bit breathlessly asked, “What was that for?”

“I just had to do that.”

“You had to do that?”

“Yes. It was the will of the Tao.”

Xiao Li looked at her skeptically.

Erin grinned mischievously and said, “Well, I’m as ready as I’m going to be.”

“So we should head back?”

“Yeah. Let’s find Mel and get this thing started.”

Mel was at the Taco Bell on Alvarado with a bunch of his friends just sitting around, eating a plate of nachos when the two women walked in. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Not much. So, you ready for the plan?” asked Erin.

“No” replied Mel.

“What plan?” asked one of his friends.

Mel looked at his friends and said, “You know those things that have been coming after us and fucking up our friends and how no one will listen to us? Well Erin here listened to me and she has been helping me go after them. She sort of figured out what they are and why they have been after us. Yesterday we took care of one part of the problem but we are making a plan to take care of the rest.”

“Really? No joke?” asked one of his friends.

Erin smiled. “No joke. I figured out what it was and my friend and I have a plan to stop them.”

“What are they?”

Erin looked at Mel, who shrugged and said, “Their called Hungry Ghosts and they eat your dreams.”

“Like what got Aaron, and Dave and Jose?”

“And Sarah and Mouse and Jaime. Yeah, that’s the things.” said Mel, his voice a bit sad.

“So what’s your plan?”

“You might not like it, as its potentially dangerous.” said Erin.

“And?” said the six foot Dick of Alvarado. “If these things are hunting us it’s just a matter of time before they get us. I figure your way at least gives us a chance.”

“Well, I hope it does. Here’s how my plan works…”

* * * * *

The group of eight teens was congregated near the Customs House, on the side away from Fisherman’s Wharf. They were talking loudly, and even had some music playing. There were few people to be annoyed by the music because the tourists had faded away and very few people were crossing the Plaza. It was things like that which kept the police from hassling the Alvarado Rats in the first place. That and they were good kids over all.

While they were partying, things seemed to be going fine when something changed. Coming from several different directions, five slightly ragged looking people headed towards the group. They moved directly towards them and were gaining speed as they drew closer. When the figures had almost reached the teens a voice yelled out, “Now!”

Several things happened simultaneously. Six of the eight scattered, running as if their lives depended on it. There was a flash of pure white light that caused the Hungry Ghosts to recoil and cover their hollow eyes. This allowed the others to escape and gave Erin time to decapitate one of them with her jian. Xiao Li was using a three section staff and had dropped one of the Ghosts to the ground.

Erin raced over and attacked another, trying to decapitate it before the thing recovered from the flash. The creature, sensing her more than seeing her, shifted and the blade cut through empty air. The three section staff whistled through the air, knocking a second creature from its feet and Xiao Li spun and scorpion struck the first one she had attacked in the head, putting it back on the ground before it could get back to its feet.

One of the Ghosts rushed Erin from the side and she managed to side step the open arms and slap an ofuda on its back. There was a muted flash of light and a groan of pain and the body lay still, consumed by an inner fire. She kept moving toward the other Ghost and hissed as sharp nails scratched across her left arm, drawing blood. She kicked out, giving herself more space to move, followed by a slash of the sword. They began to circle each other. She fought against the chi drain.

Xiao Li centered herself and dropped to her knees, slapping an ofuda that Erin had prepared on one of the downed Hungry Ghosts. She pushed her chi in the way that Erin had showed her and after a long pause there was a muted flash and then the body which had started to struggle stilled, burning from the inside. She turned just in time to be struck in the face by a Ghost.

Erin slid closer to her target, wary of the longer nails on both hands, the burn in the gashes growing stronger. The Ghost hissed at her and moved in, swiping both low and high. She slid backwards, one foot still forward, thrusting the blade forward. The Ghost batted it aside and continued in.

With a controlled tumble, Xiao Li rolled to her feet, three section staff flying, catching the Ghost against the knees, dropping it to the ground again. She closed, holding the two ends in her hands and starts pummeling the Ghost in the head, blocking occasional slashes with the central part of the staff.

With a twist, Erin came around, arcing her sword up and around, bringing it down across the Ghosts neck. The creature fell before it was able to reach her. She then hustled over to where Xiao Li is hitting her Ghost but she grabbed an ofuda, slapped it against the creature’s forehead, and with a muted flash the Ghost fell to the ground, defeated, burned to ash.

“Are you okay?” asks Erin.

“I’m fine. What about you?” Xiao Li gestured to Erin’s left arm.

“I should be okay. I don’t think that its poison was in the scratch. I don’t feel woozy or weak, so that is good.” replied Erin, flexing her arm, to make sure it didn’t stick.

“We should still clean this.”

“No time. We need to check to see if there are any more Ghosts and hunt them down. These kids aren’t safe until we do.” replied Erin, a touch frantic. She was clearly emotionally worked up over this. The chi drain had weakened her emotional control a bit.

Xiao Li pulled out her Lo Pan and checked it. Erin stood by, clearly wanting to move but not rushing Xiao Li while she worked. If she wanted to get a good reading she had to wait. Xiao Li pointed up hill. “That way.”

The two women took off towards the Presidio, along the overpass over Pacific. One of Ghosts was there closing in on one of the teens. Erin rushed forward, sword held high. The sound of cars speeding past underneath could be heard as she reached the creature. It was so focused on the teen that Erin had no problem cutting its head off. She looked down at the six foot dick of Alvarado and asked, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Thanks!”

“Xiao Li?” asked Erin.

Xiao Li checked her compass again. “Yes, there is another cluster, a bit farther away.”

She turned and sped off, with Erin right on her heels. The two girls were running towards Cannery Row, along the foot path. A scream alerted them to the specific spot and they closed in.

There were two Hungry Ghosts, coming in on a boy and a girl. The boy had tripped and the girl was standing over him protectively, waving a chunk of iceplant like a weapon, yelling “Stay back!”

Xiao Li said, “I got the near one.”

Erin raced past the first Hungry Ghost as the three section staff shot out and struck the creature in the back of the head, distracting it from its prey. It spun and attacked Xiao Li, as Erin came in and blocked the teens with her own body, catching a claw swipe across her ribs from the other one. She grimaced in pain, bringing her sword around to make the thing back off and give her some room to maneuver. The teens, seeing an opening, took their chance and fled running back towards Monterey as fast as their feet could carry them.

Holding her own, Xiao Li was keeping her Ghost from pursuing the teens, trying to buy them as much of a lead as she could. She was under no illusion as to what would occur if the Ghost got to them. Erin managed to take the creature’s left hand off, only to catch the right claws down her back. The cut was deeper this time and she cried out in pain. She dropped to her knees, barely managing to bring her blade up to block the follow up strike.

“No!” screamed Xiao Li, seeing Erin go down.

This moment of inattention was enough for the Ghost she was fighting to connect with a strong backhand that broke her three section staff and slammed her six feet away into one of the buildings. She hit very had and slid down dazed.

Erin meanwhile, was fighting nausea, as the pain roared through her. She weakly blocked another attack, fighting more on willpower alone than anything else. She tried pushing her chi, but the problem with fighting Hungry Ghosts, was that a lot of chi powered things did not work around them, as they sort of ate the energy. The more she tried the weaker she got. This was really starting to look bad.

A savage kick knocked the jian from her grip and the two Hungry Ghosts closed in on her. Xiao Li’s weak, “No!” was drowned out by a much louder “NO!” as a small figure raced over and grabbed Erin protectively, putting his small body between Erin’s and death.

The Ghosts grabbed Mel and there was a bright flash of light, and the foot path rumbled with thunder, shaking all of their chests. The two Ghosts dropped, lifeless, breaking into ashes when they hit the ground. Mel didn’t notice, crying and chanting, ‘no, no, no’, over and over again.

Xiao Li stood with some difficulty, holding her side where she had gotten hit. Checking her compass, she noted that there were no more signs of Ghosts in the area. She smiled faintly as even if there were, it wasn’t like there was anything she could do about it. Walking slowly, she reached the other two and laid a hand gently on Mel’s shoulder. The boy curled even more protectively around the red head. Softly she said, “It’s alright Mel. It’s over.”

The boy uncurled and looked up at Xiao Li, his face streaked with tears. His voice was tight when he said, “It’s over?”

“Yes. The talisman the Erin made for you did the trick. You killed the last two Ghosts.”

Erin groaned and Mel eeped, quickly releasing the older woman. He began to fuss, “Are you okay? Is there anything I can do?”

“I need bandages and rest, that’s all Mel. Thank you. That was very brave.” said Erin, smiling at Melissa, the girl that clearly had the spirit of a boy, a very brave and wonderful boy. No wonder she made such a juicy target for these Ghosts.

“Want me to help you to the hostel?”

“Please. That would be awesome. Wait… what’s that?” Erin pointed to a worn looking fanny pack that was all but invisible except from the angle she was leaning.

Xiao Li followed Erin’s finger and got what she was pointing at. She opened it and started laughing. “You have got to be kidding me. Erin Summers, is this a fucking joke?”

“Hello, wounded girl here, what’s so funny?”

“This thing is packed with hundred dollar bills and there does not seem to be any sort of ID in there at all.”

“Cool. I guess this means I can get a better room. Maybe we should get my stuff, grab a taxi and go to the Portola?” replied Erin with a smile.

Mel looked at her confused, “Wait does this happen to you all the time?”

“More often than you would think. Now help me up… the ground isn’t very comfortable.”

* * * * *

The room service breakfast was not bad. Erin rather enjoyed it as she was propped up in bed, with the tray across her lap. Xiao Li was waiting on her hand and foot, occasionally using chi gung to help encourage healing, and doing anything she could to ensure that Erin was resting. “Your chi was really depleted. They were doing a number on you and they hadn’t really started feeding.”

“I know, I know. Look at me… I’m being a good girl. I am in bed, eating and enjoying this beautiful view. Can I get the phone pretty please? I need to make a call. I have an idea how to repay Mel.”

“And it’s going to take a phone call?”

“Absolutely. I want to help Melissa become the boy she feels she is. She, no he was absolutely incredible in all of this. He really helped us out and I feel he deserves having his dream come true. The biggest problem is that I don’t know exactly how to do this particular spell so I will need help to make sure I can do that.”

“And a phone call will let you know?”

“Yep. Can you get something out of the top pocket of my backpack, it is a lifetime pass to a waterpark.” said Erin.

Xiao Li stared at Erin like she had a chicken on her head, but complied. She went over to the closet and dug through the backpack. Once she found the ticket, she took it and cocked her head, a bit confused, “There is a lot of magical power here.”

“Yes there is. This is the Lifetime pass that changed my life.”

Xiao Li came over to the bed, handed over the ticket. “So you were thinking of doing something like this for Mel? Trying to recreate this particular spell?”

“Yes, but with the way the spell worked Eric never was except in my own memories.”

Xiao Li shook her head and murmured, “Chuang Tzu’s Butterfly.”

Erin heard this and laughed. “Yes, I suppose that is a very true way of looking at it. At first I was Eric, flitting and floating about and now I am Erin dreaming I was once Eric. That is a good way to look at it. But the thing is, this Lifetime Pass, changed the Universe, giving me a new backstory as Erin. I want to do the same for Mel and I am not sure how, hence the need for the phone.”

With a nod, Xiao Li grabbed the phone and brought it over. She moved the food and brought over stuff so Erin could take notes. Erin gave her a smile of thanks. Dialing the number of the park from memory, Erin waited until a familiar voice answered, “Bikini Beach, Anya speaking. How may I help you?”

“Hey Anya! It’s Erin. I have a really technical question and I need to know if it would be best if either you or Grandmother would be best to answer it.” Erin was quite animated when she talked, happy to be speaking to her BFF.

“What’s the issue?” asked Anya, clearly interested in Erin’s query.

“I want to make something like a lifetime pass that alters reality like was done for mine, but female to male.”

The line was silent for a moment and then Anya said, “I think this is Grandmother territory, but I am totally going to listen in. Why do you need to know?”

Erin filled her in on the details, about her vacation, running into Mel, the whole kit and caboodle. “So you see, he really deserves to have his dream come true but I am not sure how to do it. That is one damn complex spell and comes at magic from a direction I am not familiar with.”

Grandmother chimed in with, “I understand. He does sound like a very brave individual. I can see why you want to do this.”

“Is there anything we can do to help?” asked Anya.

“No, I’m afraid not but I sense that Erin actually has the knack for the spell. You did not have it before but you do now.” said Grandmother with a bit of a smile in her voice.

“I do?” Erin was clearly surprised.

“Yes. Something has changed in you, where you have grasped the nature of how the spell is woven into reality. I can feel that, so you should be able to manage this spell on your own. I am proud of you Erin, you really have grown with your magic.”

Erin could hear the pride in Grandmother’s voice and it made her smile. “I miss you guys. After I am done here and done healing up, I am going to come back there so you can meet my girlfriend.”

Xiao Li quirked an eyebrow at her and Erin grinned.

“Girlfriend?” asked Anya. “Really? Okay, you gotta dish.”

“Can’t. She’s sitting right here staring at me.”

“Oooohhh… really? Okay. I’ll give you that one. You have got to hurry back here. I can’t wait to meet her.”

“You girls have fun. I have someone to greet. And remember Erin, you can do this and you have the ability to make this happen.”

Erin smiled and said, “Bye Grandmother. Talk to you later Anya. I think I am about to get attacked.”

There was giggling on the line before she hung up.

“What was that?”

“Uhm… the people I needed to call.”

“I gathered that. Girlfriend?”

“Uhm… is that a problem?” Erin looked really worried, like she might have overstepped some sort of boundary. She had really hoped that she hadn’t as she wanted this. Quite a lot.

“No, but you might have asked me first before telling these other people on the other side of the country.” growled Xiao Li.

Erin let out the breath that she had been holding, afraid that she might have screwed up. “You’re good with being my girlfriend?”

“I am really interested in seeing where this leads. So yes, I am good with being your girlfriend.”

It was a while before Erin got back to work on the spell.

* * * * *

Mel knocked on the door of the suite. Xiao Li opened the door and smiled, “Come on in.”

Erin was sitting in a chair, using a brush pen to finish up a very complex ofuda. Once she was done, she looked up, spotted Mel and grinned, “Right on time.”

“You said you had a surprise for me?” said Mel, a bit confused by everything. The phone call had been very cryptic.

“What if I said I could make your dream come true, and turn Melissa into a real boy?”

Mel blinked a few times and then said, “Really? You can do that?”

“Yep. Xiao Li helped me figure out how to do it. I can make you a boy if you want me to.” said Erin calmly, blowing gently on the ink to help it dry.

“But what about my family, won’t my parents freak out to find out I’m a boy?”

“Are you willing to take that chance? Is it worth them freaking out some to be the boy that you are?” asked Erin.

Mel started to tear up, clearly overwhelmed by the idea. “Yes… yes I am willing to take that chance. I just don’t want my parents to freak out too much.”

Xiao Li hugged the tomboy from behind, saying, “If they love you, they will love you regardless.”

Mel nodded, wiping the near tears from her eyes. “What do I need to do?”

“I am going to give you this ofuda. You are going to hold it in both hands, then go into the bathroom and take a shower, that’s it. Then you just need to hold on to that ofuda for the rest of your life.” said Erin, explaining the process.

“That’s it? I take a shower?” Melissa clearly seemed a bit incredulous at the simplicity of the process.

“Trust me.” Erin held out the ofuda.

Melissa eyed it warily and then took it with both hands. She held it to her chest and walked to the bathroom. The two women sat and drank tea as they heard the shower turn on. It wasn’t long before they felt the rush of power and heard the whoop of surprise. They shared a look and a pleased smile over the rims of their cups.

Mel rushed out of the shower, still mostly dripping, towel clutched around his waist, his slightly muscular chest flat with tiny rivulets of water moving down it. “Oh My God!! I’m a Boy!!”

He rushed over and hugged Erin, letting go of the towel, which gravity dragged to the floor. Xiao Li turned away, laughing, while Erin blushed, eyes closed tight, yelling, “Naked boy! Naked boy!”

Mel blushed a bright red, plucked up his towel from the floor and scampered back into the bathroom. Erin began laughing as well, clearly amused by the boy’s excitement.

A somewhat more subdued and bright red Mel emerged from the bathroom fully dressed, his clothes sticking to him as he apparently hadn’t fully dried himself before pulling them on. He shuffled over to where the women were still sipping their tea and snickering. Sitting down heavily in an open chair, he asked, “How did you do this? This… this is amazing.”

“Chuang Tzu’s Butterfly.”

“Hunh?” was the elegant reply.

“Chuang Tzu’s Butterfly refers to this dream that the Great Sage Chuang Tzu had, where he could not tell if he were a man dreaming he was a butterfly or a butterfly dreaming he was a man. I just set things up so that in this world you are Mel, dreaming you were Melissa.” explained Erin, trying to keep the concepts simple so as not to confuse the freshly minted boy.

Mel blinked a few times and then said, “Wait… does that mean that my family and friends only know me as Mel, not as Melissa?”

With a smile and a nod, Erin replied with “Yes. To them you have always been a boy.”

“So no confusion?”

“No confusion.”

This earned her another hug and she had to move her mug of tea out of the way to avoid getting it all down her front. When the boy released her, Erin said, “It was the least I could do. You fought so hard to save your friends and to save us. How could I not make your dream come true?”

“Thank you Erin, from the bottom of my heart. If there is ever anything I can ever do to repay you just ask.” replied Mel, sincerity clear in every word.

She reached out and cupped his cheek, “Live and be happy. That will make the biggest impact on the world. Now go, see your friends, have fun. You have a whole day to explore.”

He stood up and grinned at her, clearly happy for the first time since they had met. When he reached the door he paused and turned back, looking at the two women. “Thank you, both of you. Thank you.”

Mel opened the door, waved goodbye and was gone.

Xiao Li looked over at Erin and snickered. Erin furrowed her brows and asked, “What?”

“You. Look at you. You’re glowing.”

“I am not.”

“You are so. You are totally glowing.”

“I am no such thing.”

“You totally are. Goddess, if this is what you are like after helping someone what are you going to be like after sex?”

“Oh my God, shut up!”

“No it’s so true! You’re a little lightning bug. You’re brighter than a fucking Kincade painting.”

“You take that back!” snapped Erin with some heat.

“What the Kincade crack? Fine. You’re more of a lighthouse light anyway.”

Erin chased her into the bedroom and they fell onto the bed tickling each other. They wrestled for several minutes and tickled each other, contorting all over the surface, before Erin managed to pin Xiao Li under her. Xiao Li struggled some and then stilled. She smiled up softly at Erin and said, in a voice husky and full of emotion, “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Erin leaned down to kiss, and it felt so good that her wounds did not even hurt once, not even as they threw their clothes to the floor and snuggled under the covers, playfully teasing and kissing each other as they grew a lot closer.